The sport of canoeing, and whitewater canoeing in particular has evolved to the point where paddlers are commonly running extremely turbulent whitewater and very difficult rapids which often include severe drops. In order for a paddler to be comfortable and secured sufficiently in a canoe in a paddling position for the purpose of controlling the craft in turbulent water and/or righting the craft if it should capsize, it has become common for paddlers to use a structure such as a saddle shaped from semi-rigid plastic foam to specifically fit a particular paddler. Such a saddle allows the paddler to adopt a generally kneeling position, straddling and sitting on the saddle with straps passing over the thighs to help hold the paddler securely in place but without risk of becoming trapped should it be desirable to exit the craft for any reason.
Because of the variation in size and shape of canoes of different manufacturers as well as the variation in size of the paddlers, it has heretofore been difficult to readily adapt a common saddle structure to the different craft and individuals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,799 to Masters shows a relatively rigid saddle structure which provides integral fixed and non-releasable braces over the paddler's legs. While such a saddle can be fitted to an individual through the use of additional padding or filler material glued in place, the saddle itself provides no inherent adjustability for different paddlers. The Masters saddle is further limited by being secured to the canoe by attachment to cross braces or thwarts located generally above the saddle and usually at the level of the gunnels of the craft. Since the height of the gunnels can vary from one craft to another, the Masters saddle generally requires that either the saddle, the cross braces or both be adapted to allow securing the saddle into various craft. Also, since a thwart is typically an immovable and integral part of a canoe structure, the fore and aft location of the thwarts may largely dictate the position of a saddle which is to be secured to the thwarts. This may inhibit placing the saddle in a location to achieve the best possible trim of the craft. Additionally, while Masters provides a hollow structure with a port which provides access to the interior for storage, the port which Masters uses for access to the interior is located on the side or rear of the saddle and does not provide the convenience of access which is available in the port of the present invention which is located on the top surface of the saddle just behind the paddler.